Jury: Cop harassed by fellow officers

A former Suffolk County Police Officer has received an almost $1 million verdict from a federal court jury ruling that the Suffolk County Police Department and three of his superiors harassed and retaliated against him following a boat explosion that left him injured and unable to work.

On March 11, 1998, Thomas Wallace, 47, was injured by a massive boat explosion while on the job with the department’s Emergency Services Unit. As a result of the explosion, he underwent numerous surgeries and is suffering from a severe degenerative joint disease in his lower left leg, a herniated disc, a bulging disc in his lower vertebrae and arthritis in his left hip.

After the accident, Wallace attempted to notify the department of improper training and equipment that led to the explosion and his injuries, only to be repeatedly rebuffed by his superiors in the department.

“He was injured in the course of doing his job protecting the public,” said his attorney, Tom Ricotta of Leeds, Morelli & Brownin Carle Place. “And he comes to them with these issues rather than biting the bullet. He was doing right in making sure these issues with respect to training and equipment are addressed.”

As a result, he was also threatened to keep quiet, put back on light duty despite doctor’s orders and had his retirement papers sent in without his consent, Ricotta said.

The suit was filed against the department, former Police Commissioner John Gallagher, former Chief of Department Phillip Robilotto and former Deputy Commissioner James Abbott.

The jury awarded Wallace $200,000 from the department and $225,000 from each of the defendants.

“The jury found a clear pattern of harassment,” Ricotta said. “The gist of it is that it’s sad. It is a shame. You expect the department to protect the public and protect its own in order to assist in protecting the public.”